How Pokemon Go and augmented reality are transforming how we’ll navigate the world w/ Niantic's Brian McClendon

01/21/25 • 69 min

3 Listeners

Whether you’re trying to find your way around a new city or just looking for a place to eat, it’s become second nature to many people to turn to Google Maps to get us from point A to point B. On the last episode of this season of The TED AI Show, we’re chatting with Keyhole (now known as Google Earth) founder and current Niantic SVP of Engineering Brian McClendon. Brian and Bilawal discuss how even the most detailed digital maps have blind spots, how Pokemon Go could be an unlikely partner to fill in the blanks – and how augmented reality is making the future of navigation immersive. In the second half of the show, Bilawal recaps some of the big learnings from the first season of this show, and teases a big update about season 2.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

How AI digital doppelgängers could change the way we communicate w/ Synthesia CEO Victor Riparbelli

As AI technology advances, it’s becoming harder and harder to distinguish between work done by humans and work done by computers. But is AI becoming more human, or are we becoming more digital? Synthesia is a video platform that uses AI to generate lifelike video avatars, further blurring the lines between humans and their digitized lookalikes. In this episode, Bilawal sits down with Synthesia’s CEO, Victor Riparbelli, to discuss the benefits of having your own AI avatar, how companies are using this tool to improve communication, and why media literacy is more important than ever in a world of ever-thinning lines between real and fake. They dissect the risks that come with making this technology available to the public, the strict rules Synthesia has in place to protect their users, and question the ethics of having a digital clone. Tune in to see if you’ll be sending your own AI avatar to your boring meetings in the near future.

For transcripts for The TED AI Show, visit go.ted.com/TTAIS-transcripts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

The magic intelligence in the sky | Good Robot

This episode is part of a feed swap from our friend at Vox’s Unexplainable podcast. Good Robot is a miniseries hosted by Julia Longoria.

Today’s episode, “The magic intelligence in the sky” examines how before AI became a mainstream obsession, one thinker sounded the alarm about its catastrophic potential. So why are so many billionaires and tech leaders worried about... paper clips?

Good Robot was made in partnership with Vox’s Unexplainable team. Episodes will be released on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

For more, go to vox.com/goodrobot

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.